croque monsieur

noun

croque mon·​sieur ˌkrȯk-məs-ˈyər 

-ˈyə,

ˌkräk-,

ˌkrōk-,

-məsh-

variants or Croque Monsieur or less commonly croque-monsieur

plural croque monsieurs ˌkrȯk-məs-ˈyər(z) 

-ˈyə(z),

ˌkräk-,

ˌkrōk-,

-məsh-

or Croque Monsieurs also croque-monsieurs

: a ham and cheese sandwich often with béchamel sauce that is sometimes dipped in egg batter before being grilled, baked, or pan-fried

At one point they were in Paris and shared a croque monsieur, a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese.

—Dan McGowan

Fill the bread with ham and cheese to make two sandwiches, or croque monsieurs, then toast them for 1-2 minutes under a grill …

—Victoria Gray

And while most croque monsieur recipes use béchamel sauce with grated gruyère, this one combines both to make a mornay sauce …

—Jessica Yadegaran

… we never found mustard or any other condiment included on any Croque Monsieur when we were in Paris.

—Tallahaseee (Florida) Democrat

compare croque madame

Examples of croque monsieur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The hotel's lobby lounge is another highlight, offering a relaxed atmosphere where guests can enjoy snacks like the indulgent croque monsieur. —Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024

Its savory menu lists classics like croque monsieur, quiche Lorraine, quiche Provence and gougeres — a puff pastry with gruyère and Parmesan. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 12 July 2024

There’s also a bistro with elegant-meets-cozy dishes like pork breast confit and raclette croque monsieur. —Caitlin Gunther, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2023

But also don’t skip on the street food section of the menu, which features a number of creative yet more casual dishes: think Wagyu beef quesadillas, bao buns, and bite-sized croque monsieurs with ham and mozzarella cheese. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, literally, "(one) bites with a crunch (the) gentleman"

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above